Weathering the Storms

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Posted on
August 28, 2012

As I write this, Tropical Storm Isaac is churning up the
Gulf of Mexico and preparing to pack a punch on the Gulf Coast, but no matter
where you are, you’ve probably been walloped by some pretty severe weather this
summer. Parts of the country have suffered some of the most devastating drought
conditions in decades, while other areas have dealt with flash floods,
tornadoes, and even other natural disasters like widespread wildfires and the
earthquake swarm occurring over the past few days in southern California. And if
your experience has been like mine, you may not have always seen the trouble
coming.

I was at a friend’s home in northern Virginia about two
months back when what turned out to be a “derecho” storm with hurricane-force
winds suddenly slammed into the house, and less than a minute later, the power
blinked out and didn’t come back on for two days. Lightning illuminated the
house with constant, unceasing flashes for at least 20 minutes, and huge trees
snapped outside, blocking roads and totaling cars. It was over as quickly as it
had come, and once we felt we could safely venture back outside, we found the
curbside trashcan had blown two blocks down the street. This storm came
completely out of left field—I had actually just checked the weather forecast
15 minutes before the storm hit and had no indication that we were in for
anything aside from a partly cloudy night.

It’s not always easy to expect the unexpected when it comes
to weather, and park and recreation professionals probably know this better
than most. Many agency-organized events are held outdoors, and it’s usually
impossible to know in advance exactly what sort of conditions you can
anticipate. However, some agencies are taking strides to be as prepared as
possible for any severe weather that comes their way. The National Weather
Service has developed a StormReady program (www.stormready.noaa.gov) and
certifies counties, communities, universities, and government agencies
(including parks) that have:

Established a 24-hour
warning point and emergency operations center

Adopted more than one
way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the
public

Created a system that
monitors weather conditions locally

Promoted the importance
of public readiness through community seminars

Developed a formal
hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters
and holding emergency exercises.

Unfortunately, that June derecho storm that
swept the country killed two young boys at a state park in New Jersey, when a
tree crashed into the tent where their families huddled together to ride out
the unexpected maelstrom. Although we’re never going to be able to eliminate
all risk, especially with the unpredictable nature of weather, we owe it to our
communities and our field to protect the public in our parks as much as
possible. This week, as Tropical Storm Isaac follows in Hurricane Katrina’s
devastating footsteps from seven years ago, I hope some lessons learned from
that eye-opening disaster means that communities in the path of the storm will
be prepared for what’s coming. We can do our part to lead by example.